Porsche Festival Hot Laps

[John Sims]

Wrong! Parade laps and hot laps are the same thing at the Festival...

With due respect, and whilst not wishing to speek out of turn, (and as a result scupper the slim chance Tony and I had of "perhaps" doing some hot laps) having read all of the postings I can find on the subject my conclusion is as follows:-

Hot Laps are the exclusive domain of GT3 owners (unless they don't get enough GT3 volunteers) who get to run for, perhaps, two 15-20 minute sessions on Sunday and Monday, without a pace car, for free. They take fee paying passengers, if available, otherwise they can run without.

The rest of us get to do perhaps 5 Parade Laps for £10 in a queu behind a pace car.

Make of that what you will.

 

[Guest]

ORIGINAL: John Sims

Wrong! Parade laps and hot laps are the same thing at the Festival...

With due respect, and whilst not wishing to speek out of turn, (and as a result scupper the slim chance Tony and I had of "perhaps" doing some hot laps) having read all of the postings I can find on the subject my conclusion is as follows:-

Hot Laps are the exclusive domain of GT3 owners (unless they don't get enough GT3 volunteers) who get to run for, perhaps, two 15-20 minute sessions on Sunday and Monday, without a pace car, for free. They take fee paying passengers, if available, otherwise they can run without.

The rest of us get to do perhaps 5 Parade Laps for £10 in a queu behind a pace car.

Make of that what you will.

Exactly the reason i am not going!!

 

[Guest]

Hot Laps are the exclusive domain of GT3 owners (unless they don't get enough GT3 volunteers) who get to run for, perhaps, two 15-20 minute sessions on Sunday and Monday, without a pace car, for free. They take fee paying passengers, if available, otherwise they can run without.

as per my previous posts, this is not true! Parade laps and hot laps ARE THE SAME THING - the hot laps will be run as part of the parade laps - ALL parade laps (and, therefore, ALL hot laps) will be with a pace car. All parade laps will be paid for (if we do not get enough takers to fill all the parade laps, second and third sessions will be offered, at no extra cost, on a first-come-first-served basis)

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Jeff,

You had better let Richard know...

The first post in the thread in the GT3 forum on this topic says

"There is no charge for car and driver,basically its an opportunity for the passengers to see just why we love the GT3, WE ARE BEING ASKED TO IMPRESS THEM WITHOUT FRIGHTENING THE LIVING DAY LIGHTS OUT OF THEM [no heroics please].
As you may guess there are 9 vacancies left, you can register for one or two days,the first 9 to ring me will get in , plus a few reserves.
A firm commitment must be made so Eoin can organise a smooth running exhibition.
Its a great chance of some interesting extra track time [FOC] "

I can see why there is a bit of confusion...

 

[John Sims]

I can see why there is a bit of confusion...

Any news?

 

[Mark_Bennett]

ORIGINAL: John Sims

I can see why there is a bit of confusion...

Any news?

Edit:
I'm only leaving this here because otherwise the posts following will not make sense!
This information (taken on good faith and repeated here) has evidently been changed since the original supplier of the information was last updated.
Obviously just a misunderstanding somewhere along the line!

Mark



Yes.

Eion Sloan and I had a bit of an animated discussion on this topic over the Classic Le Mans.
We eventually worked out that neither of us knew what the other did/didn't know![]

Here's the real story (I hope!)

The "Hot Laps" is actually being backed by GT Purely Porsche Magazine. They are providing the funding to do these laps (so they are not free - but the magazine is covering the fee), and the proceeds go to charity.

GT Purley Porsche want the loudest brashest cars doing the laps, and want to be able to promote as such to the paying punters. Hence they have requested 15 GT3's.

No offence was meant to other models.

So we as a Club are able to promote the activity as being spectacular in sight and sound (lets face it - a GT3 is a lot noisier than even a 996/GT2 turbo) and hopefully draw in more paying members of the public (or even club members), who's payments go to the charity.

So there you go. Laps with the noisiest and brashest - and the cars are a bit loud as well[]


Edit:
It seems this is not the definitive answer on this after all - please see Jeff's post a little further down.

 

[eastendr]

So a 110 dB (A) 944 Turbot ....

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I knew someone would say thier car is louder!

The event is sponsered by GT Purely Porsche[]
They have requested GT3's. That's the situation (and I didn't enjoy having the argument whilst putting across the "Other models" point of view either - so please don't have a go at me for finding out for everyone!)

 

[John Sims]

GT Purley Porsche want the loudest brashest cars doing the laps, and want to be able to promote as such to the paying punters. Hence they have requested 15 GT3's.

No offence was meant to other models.

And I thought that this was meant to be a Club event. Well silly me. Thanks for sorting out the confusion Mark, though I don't see why it should have to have been you who did it.

Regarding the loudest and brashest - might I nominate The Cannell Turbot RS. This is far louder than a GT3 and shoots flames out of the exhaust. My second nomination would be The Sweetenham 420 - not as loud but with more then enough grunt to make a GT3 sit up and take note. If either driver is unavailable I would naturally be honoured to step into the hot seat . []

 

[danmason]

thanks for the intrepid detective work Mark!

 

[John Sims]

Eion Sloan and I had a bit of a heated discussion on this topic

I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr Sloan but I get the impression he could perhaps be a little forthright?

Well done again Mark. I think you should be eligable for Hot Laps any way. You have GT3 seats so, once in the car, the passengers aren't going to be aware of any difference. Granted there is the small matter of no roof but I doubt anyone would spot that.

 

[John Sims]

The event is sponsered by GT Purely Porsche
They have requested GT3's. That's the situation

And to think I've bought that magazine in the past. I must make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[chrisr]

Ive bought GT Purely Porsche for the last 8 months - no more I can assure, however Im sure 1 less reader wont make a dam difference as I dont own a GT3 anyway.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I understand - but please don't be that way?

The magazine is sponsoring this to raise money for charity. They don't HAVE to do this, it is a good gesture on thier part.
It's not good if club members use thier good intentions against them.

I'm sure they did not mean to offend anyone!

I just wish the event had been explained properly before. Would have saved a lot of hassle.[]

 

[Fen]

Sounds to me like the Club allowed this divisive sponsorship event to go ahead when they should have insisted that restriction to only the most expensive of models was not acceptable.

Personally I think many of the public who will attend have their personal favourite model (for me it would have been the 930 Turbo, had I never become involved with Porshces, as that was my teenage pin-up car) that they would have liked to go out in. Possibly they would go out more than once if there was a chance to compare different generations or models.

As it is we now have no choice for the punters and many members left with a sour taste in their mouth. Nice work.

As for the magazine - do you really think they will not be branding the event on the day at all? Charity is just a PC version of advertising and lets face it GTPP comes second in a two horse race where both competitors are old nags.

Poor show GTPP and even poorer show PCGB for allowing it in this format at their premium event.

 

[Guest]

most of the above is incorrect!

GT PP has sponsored the hot laps (they have paid money to associate their name with them). The hot laps are in the passenger seats of members' cars taking part in parade laps for which the members have paid (£10). GT PP will accept a random selection of cars - they have no option to specify which cars are taking part or in which cars they can sell hot laps (and they did not ask for this...)

GT PP has not requested that the hot laps only be in GT3s (and which would go against the planning of parade laps being for any and all members and so would have been refused)

However, the GT3 boys were helpful some weeks ago when the parade lap bookings were low and stepped in to promise to get lots of cars (for which thanks are due).

HOWEVER: the GT3s are paying the £10; the GT3s will be behind a pace car; the GT3s may share a session with other cars (subject to planning); the GT3s will supply some, but not all, of the 'hot laps' (others will be in other members' cars and some will off-road in Cayennes)

I trust this clarifies the situation?

 

[John Sims]

Whilst I appreciate your diplomatic stand point Mark I have to agree with Fen completely.

Although slow on the take up, (in my case impossible as I can't seem to contact our RS []) I have little doubt that all track spaces would be filled on the day. Assuming all parade lap fees go to charity then the charity is no better off, the only result in the GTPP deal from what I can see is:-

1. GTPP get cheap publicity.

2. PCGB gets a less interesting event. We will see plenty of GT3s racing, why not let some other models show off at a reasonable tilt?

3. The most affluent members of the Club get to play, unsupervised, on the circuit on several occasions for free, whilst the rest of us have to pay to follow a pace car.

With no dissrespect to any GT3 owners, with perhaps the exception of Richard Long, their cars are standard. Once you've seen one you've seen them all IMHO. There are more interesting cars in the Club with more interesting stories to tell about them. I've seen GT3's going fast, I'd like to see and hear a 928 going fast, a 914/6, a 964 RS, an RSR, a 550, a GT1, a 356, a 993, a Cayenne Turbo and a Boxster. I've never seen any of them approaching the limit.


Sorry Jeff, I composed the above at the same time as your posting. I guess we can ignor all of that then. [] Who's going to tell Mr Long that his Hot laps aren't quite so hot and he is going to have to pay for them then? []

 

[Mark_Bennett]

John,

See Jeff's post above!
It seems my info from Eion Sloan is still not the definitive answer! (No matter how vociferously he made his point).

 

[John Sims]

It seems my info from Eion Sloan is still not the definitive answer! (No matter how vociferously he made his point).

There is obviously a significant misunderstanding somewhere along the line. Arrangements, as noted within the GT3 forum, bare no comparison with Jeff's described format. I agree that Jeffs version is by far the fairest and most Club orientated, as it should be.

Someone is going to be very disappointed somewhere along the line.

 

[John Sims]

It seems my info from Eion Sloan is still not the definitive answer! (No matter how vociferously he made his point).

I think Eion may owe you an apology Mark, and we Jeff.

Reading GTPP July '04 page 94 :-

GT Purely Porsche Sponsors Hot Laps at PCGB Porsche Festival 2004

One of the highlights at this year's PCGB Festival 2004 wil be a series of driver parades around the legendary Brands Hatch Indy circuit, and over the weekend, GT Purely Porsche has a number of passenger rides available to accompany drivers on their hot laps of the circuit.
With parades organised to cater for all your Porsche needs - from 356 through to 996 Turbo - there will be a Porsche passenger seat to suit all needs.....

And when you read down through the booking information to the terms and conditions

....No guarentee can be made for booking of hot laps in a specific car....

Sorry Jeff, we must learn to listen to you. []

Who is going to tell Eion & Richard then? I think Mark should be ready for Round 2 now.[]